Lasorte Cuadra launches Epopira drawing inspiration from the distant (and not-so-distant) past
LOS ANGELES, Tuesday, 03/05/2024—The unswerving ambition in the three years since artisan winemakers Lasorte Cuadra released their debut bottling of Silos, a field blend of indigenous white grapes from the Valle d’Itria, has been to demystify the historical significance and enological potential of Puglia’s only white wine zone.
Despite fascinating Hellenic origins, Valle d’Itria wines and the region’s indigenous varieties were reduced to anonymity in the twentieth century when bulk wine production gave rise to a bonanza of sorts for the area’s subsistent agricultural economy. But that transactional relationship—namely between local wine cooperatives and bottlers from Northern Italy and beyond in need of vino sfuso for blending—required total neutrality of grapes and wines, which accordingly never made a name for themselves—let alone for their place of origin.
One of the most striking aspects of this untold story is the specific role played by Valle d’Itria wines in the fabled old days of Italian vermouth—a historic link Roberto Lasorte and Stephanie Cuadra were quick to draw inspiration from before they began producing wine in the region. “My father used to talk about vivid childhood memories of numerous freight trains leaving Martina Franca at harvest time (during the feast days of Saints Cosmas and Damian, the Santi Medici) loaded to the brim with grapes bound for Piemonte,” says Lasorte. “Back then it was common knowledge that non-aromatic varieties like Verdeca were in high demand in the north, even if only as imperceptible blending agents for the base wine needed to make vermouth.”
While the ripple effects from this obscure chapter in the history of Italian wine are still felt throughout the south, the pendulum is clearly swinging in favor of viticultural zones that are finally asserting more territorial features of winemaking. A growing cohort of wineries across Southern Italy show immense promise in their efforts to alter the course for heritage grapes and regional wines by giving long overdue prominence to their most distinctive qualities and characteristics.
For Lasorte Cuadra this positive trend has meant that Silos, made with Verdeca, Bianco d’Alessano, Minutolo and Maresco grapes, could become a persuasive voice for viticultural preservation in Valle d’Itria. And yet, Roberto and Stephanie are equally convinced that a broader claim can be made by reviving a past relationship on brand new terms—paving the way for a uniquely Apulian take on vermouth.
Epopira Dry and Epopira Dolce—echoing the name of the herb-infused wine elixir used to heal the sick by the fourth-century physician brothers Cosmas and Damian, patron saints of the Valle d’Itria—combine 23 separate small-batch infusions of botanicals endemic to Puglia and the greater Mediterranean zone (such as thyme, oregano, chamomile, licorice root and saffron) all masterfully blended into 10 hL of Silos 2022 by artisan distiller Carlo Quaglia of Piedmont’s internationally renowned Antica Distilleria Quaglia.
In anticipation of Epopira Vermouth’s official market launch in Verona during the Vinitaly wine fair (April 14-17), Stephanie Cuadra is returning to her hometown this week and will be hosting a series of intimate preview tastings organized by Los Angeles-based broker Wines of Impact, including Martini Night at the Tap Room on March 6th at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena as part of a special collaboration with Fords Gin. Visit @winesofimpact via Instagram for details.
